This Element is broadly about the geometrization of physics, but mostly it is about gauge theories. Gauge theories lie at the heart of modern physics: in particular, they constitute the Standard Model of particle physics. At its simplest, the idea of gauge is that nature is best described using a descriptively redundant language; the different descriptions are said to be related by a gauge symmetry. The over-arching question this Element aims to answer is: why is descriptive redundancy fruitful for physics? I will provide three inter-related answers to the question: ``Why gauge theory?'', that is: why introduce redundancies in our models of nature in the first place? The first is pragmatic, or methodological; the second is based on geometrical considerations, and the third is broadly relational.
Les mer
1. Introduction; 2. Why gauge? A Noether, methodological reason; 3. Gauge theory and the geometry of fiber bundles; 4. Why gauge? a geometrical reason; 5. The Aharonov-Bohm effect, non-locality, and non-separability; References.
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This Element describes how modern physics relies on geometric ideas, and on symmetries in particular.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781009014083
Publisert
2025-01-30
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
135 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
4 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
84